October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
Today Ben Chapman is remembered for his terrible racist heckling of Jackie Robinson when he debuted in 1947, but 15 years earlier Chapman was the best lead-off batter in the game. Playing for the New York Yankees, Chapman was a speedy center fielder and acknowledged as the best base stealer in the majors. When the All-Star Game was first played in 1933 it was Ben Chapman who was picked to play center field for the AL. This Ben Chapman model bat's weight of 33.3 oz and length of 34 inches corresponds to bats used by Chapman during this time, however, the appearance of the "34" length stamp on the knob is an indication that this is either a store model or a pro stock model bat. Pro stock bats are bats ordered by a team in a particular players' weight, length and model. While most bats are from the game's biggest names like Ruth and Gehrig, it says something of Chapman's talent at the time that a team would order bats used by the Yankees leadoff hitter. The Hillerich & Bradsby shows excellent use with a cracked handle that has been repaired. Part of the knob and a small piece of the handle is missing and several ball marks with stitch impressions can be seen on the barrel. The bat's length "34" is stamped on the knob end and "Ben" has been hand written on top of that. Although not used by Ben Chapman, this is an outstanding example of an early pro stock bat. Letter of Authenticity (1B08930) from PSA/DNA.